Thunder Over Niagara remembers 9/11

The U.S. Air Force's Thunderbirds will perform in F-16s both afternoons as the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station remembers 9/11. (photo courtesy of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds)

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by Susan Mikula Campbell

Get ready to hear that
rumble in the sky. The Thunder Over Niagara Air Show returns to the Niagara
Falls Air Reserve Station on Sept. 10 and 11 for the first time since 2007.

"It's going to be the
biggest air show this region has ever seen," said Capt. Ben Canetti, show
director and member of the 914th Airlift Wing.

Both days will start with a
somber note. The show also will be the largest 9/11 10-year remembrance event
in the country, Canetti said.

At about 11 a.m., events
will begin with a remembrance procession, which will include the Marine Corps
Band, a bagpipe band, the local Patriot Riders, first responders (firefighters,
police, emergency personnel) and military veterans from the most recent
conflict. At the ceremony's end, there will be a near supersonic pass by of a
B-1 bomber.

Canetti said remembering
9/11 isn't the only purpose of the show.

"It's a huge thank you from
the 914th and the 107th (airlift wings) to the Western New York community for
the support they've given to the air base over the years."

The show is being held by
the two airlift wings and the Niagara Military Affairs Council.

Many air show sponsors
stepped forward this year to cover expenses and the cost of civilian acts,
according to Merrell Lane, NIMAC chairman.

The base hasn't been able
to have an air show in recent years due to deployments to the Middle East.

"We're excited to be back
up and running again," said John Cooper, show chairman and NIMAC vice chairman.

Cooper said the 9/11
remembrance ceremony "will probably be a tear-jerker for a lot of people," but
the show will go on to "celebrate the freedoms we have and those who protect
those freedoms."

The aerial acts should
begin about noon and will probably last until about 4 p.m. The 9/11 remembrance
theme is attracting flying acts from all over the country.

Stars of the show will be
the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, now in their 58th season of streaking through
the sky.

"I'm proud to watch them
knowing they're part of the U.S. military," Cooper added.

The team includes a female
pilot, Capt. Kristin Hubbard, in Thunderbird 8.

Randy Ball of Fighterjets
Inc. will bring his MiG-17 demo to Thunder Over Niagara. Until the introduction
of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the MiG-17 turned tighter than any other fighter
plane in the world.

Other acts scheduled
include professional strongman Mark Kirsch pulling one of the base's C-130s,
the Red Bull Air Force (skydivers in plane-shaped wing suits), the Wounded
Warrior Flight Team, Ken Pietsch's Jelly Belly barnstorming show and many more.

Pilot Rick Volker will fly
in his Sukhoi SU-26M for his first appearance at a Niagara Falls air show.
Volker is a Niagara Falls dentist.

Col. Steven Brodfuehrer,
commander of the VMX-22 Osprey group at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, N.C.,
since 2009, will be part of the show. Brodfuehrer is a 1986 graduate of North
Tonawanda High School and his parents, Diane and Charles Brodfuehrer, are
Wheatfield residents.

The Osprey is a tilt rotor
aircraft that combines the vertical flight capability of a helicopter with the
range and speed of an aircraft. Lane noted that the roots for the development
of the Osprey came right here at the Bell Aerospace plant in the 1950s.

A list of performers is
available on the air show website, but there will be several other surprise
appearances, either in flybys or on the ground, Lane said.

Lane and Cooper have loved
the air base since they were boys and used to sit at the end of the runway to
watch the planes take off and land. They've been involved in the air shows
since the 1990s.

The show gives those
stationed at the base the opportunity to "show people what they do when they
have their uniforms on," Lane said.

Show organizers advise
getting to the base early, as huge crowds are expected both days. Gates to the
Lockport Road base open at 9 a.m.

"It looks like with the
crowds for the air show and the construction both on Lockport Road and Niagara
Falls Boulevard, it will be a little congested, so people should be prepared
for that," Lane said. "They'll have fun, though."

Canetti said local law
enforcement is teaming up in a joint effort to direct traffic. Base parking is
expected to fill up quickly. Off-base parking with shuttles available is
planned at Inducon Drive, and other locations if needed. Watch for police
directions.

Cooper emphasized that air
show admission is still free to the public and parking is still free, too.

However, a VIP ticket is
being sold this year to help pay for the air show. The tickets provide special
parking and seating privileges. Of the 400 tickets available, more than half
already have been sold, he said.

To find out more about the Thunder Over Niagara Air Show, including the
new VIP tickets, find the schedule and to see photos and videos of the
performers and the static displays, go to www.thunderoverniagara.com.